There You Are
by It'sNotEasyBeingQueen
Summary: Blaine keeps hearing Kurt repeat something he once said, and it's troubling him to no end. Pure schmoop for the anniversary of the first Klaine kiss.


There You Are

 _A/N: Somewhere I saw mention of the Klaine kiss anniversary – holy cats, it was 3/15/11, six years ago! This popped into my head and demanded to be written. Don't judge me. Ok, judge me if you must, but maybe leave me a review if you like._

They'd been dating about six months the first time it happened.

Blaine was over at the Hudmels' with Kurt. They were just a couple of weeks into the new school year, and had already established a routine of studying together three nights a week. With the door open and Burt within hearing distance, they actually did manage to get some studying done, too.

Blaine was on a snack run to the kitchen when he realized he hadn't asked Kurt what he wanted to drink. Doubling back, he was almost to the bedroom door when he heard Kurt mutter, "There you are. I've been looking for you forever."

Blaine furrowed his triangular brow and stopped in his tracks. He peered around the doorframe to find Kurt putting some books back on a shelf – apparently, he'd been looking for one in particular and had had trouble locating it. That, in and of itself, wasn't odd, of course. What struck Blaine were the words Kurt had used. It was an exact quote of what Blaine had said to Kurt months ago at Dalton when he'd confessed his feelings. He wasn't sure what exactly he felt, but it seemed wrong somehow for Kurt to use those words for something as random as a lost book.

Blaine shook his head in an attempt to shake off the pang of hurt that rose within him. He was overreacting, certainly. Remembering why he came back to the room in the first place, Blaine walked into the room and asked Kurt for his beverage order.

A couple of weeks later, it happened again. The boys walked into the Lima Bean after an afternoon of shopping. As they came through the door, Kurt was saying, "I don't know what happened to Mercedes. She said she'd try to meet us at the mall, but I never heard from her. I hope she's okay."

"I'm sure she's fine, Kurt. She probably just got caught up doing something else," Blaine answered comfortingly, placing a gentle hand to the small of Kurt's back as he guided him toward the line while Kurt checked his phone for the hundredth time. "Oh," he exclaimed as he looked up, "here she is now."

Kurt followed his gaze and saw Mercedes waving from a table by the window. "Can you get me my usual, B? I want to give Ms. Jones a little what-for for standing us up," he said with a wink. Blaine nodded and stepped up in line. Just before placing his order, he heard Kurt's voice lilt through the coffee shop, "There you are! I've been looking for you forever!"

Blaine fought off a shiver of apprehension. The first time he'd heard him, Blaine knew Kurt had thought he was alone. This time, he must have known Blaine could hear him. Was he making fun of him somehow? Blaine knew that some might have found his little speech a bit dramatic, but Kurt had always led him to believe that he thought it was special and perfect. Maybe it really didn't mean that much to him, Blaine thought, and the phrase just came out subconsciously because he didn't remember Blaine having said it. That didn't feel any better, he thought with a frown.

His musings were interrupted by the barista who, from the tone of her voice, had asked Blaine more than once for his order. He apologized and hurried to place the order that was second-nature to him by now.

Things came to a head that evening. Blaine hadn't intended to say anything. He really hadn't. But when they decided to stay in and watch a movie, and Kurt started rummaging around for the remote, Blaine suddenly felt on edge. He watched Kurt looking around the living room, cursing out Finn and his father for never putting the device back on the table where it belonged. It was as if every sound in the world stopped except for Kurt bustling around while Blaine waited. Kurt finally located the missing item and held it high. "A-ha!" he exclaimed with a triumphant smile. "There you…"

"Stop!" Blaine blurted out a bit loudly, startling both Kurt and himself.

"Blaine!" Kurt admonished. "What in the world?"

"I-I'm sorry," he stammered. "I just couldn't…you were about to…and I didn't…" he trailed off, horrified by the crack in his voice.

Kurt dropped the remote back onto the table and quickly crossed the room, taking Blaine by the arm and coaxing him to sit next to him on the couch. "B? What's wrong?" he asked, taking both of Blaine's hands in his own and ducking his head to catch Blaine's lowered eyes.

"You'll think it's stupid," Blaine whispered.

"Maybe," Kurt replied, his voice soft and just a little teasing, trying to brighten his boyfriend's mood and giving his hands a light squeeze. "Why don't you try me?"

Blaine finally looked up, blinking a couple of times to keep the threatening tears at bay. Taking a deep breath, and looking into the azure eyes that were full of tenderness and questions, he took a moment to figure out how to explain things.

"This afternoon, when we met Mercedes in the coffee shop, you said…" he paused and cleared his throat before continuing, "you said, 'There you are, I've been looking for you forever' to her." He saw a flicker of recognition in Kurt's eyes, but Kurt remained silent. "The other day, I heard you say it in your room when you found a book you were looking for. And just now, with the remote, you started to say it again." There was a slight edge to his voice where the hurt lay. He wanted to give Kurt the benefit of the doubt, but saying this out loud made the fear a little more real.

"Do you remember where you heard those words before, Kurt?" he asked.

Kurt scooted a little closer to Blaine on the couch, never letting go of his hands. "Of _course_ I remember, Blaine," he said sincerely. "I remember every word you said to me at Dalton that day – six months, three weeks, and five days ago," he added, smiling warmly.

Blaine took a shuddering breath. "Then why – I mean, if you remember and they mean something, then why do you keep saying them in random situations? It feels like…like you're making fun or they aren't important to you," he finished, a single tear escaping with the last word.

"Oh, Blaine, no," Kurt said, reaching out and wrapping his arms around Blaine tightly. He turned his head and kissed the tear from Blaine's cheek before pulling away and kissing him on the other cheek, as well. "Is that what has you so upset?" Blaine nodded wordlessly and Kurt hugged him again. "Oh, I am so sorry, sweetie. I never meant for that to happen. I'm such an idiot," he said, the last sentence being whispered under his breath as if to himself.

Kurt leaned back once more, placing one hand on Blaine's bicep and using the other to cradle his neck, lightly brushing his thumb across Blaine's cheek a few times. "Now, listen to me," he said sternly but softly. "I don't use those words to make fun of you or because they're meaningless. Not at all. Like I said, I remember every word you said to me that day, and I cherish them all. I've never heard anyone express themselves so eloquently and beautifully as you did, Blaine." Blaine turned his face into Kurt's hand, kissing his palm before Kurt continued.

"I'm afraid you'll think I'm weird, I'm sure," he said, blushing a bit, "but I…I like to say it because it makes me think of you," he said in a rush.

"What?" Blaine asked incredulously.

"Well," Kurt replied, looking away sheepishly, "I'd never felt that way before – the way you made me feel when you told me you liked me and when you kissed me that first time. I felt so special, and wanted, and loved. I never want to forget that feeling," he looked up to see Blaine starting to protest, but cut him off, "No! Not that you don't make me feel special and loved every day, Blaine! You do!" he said emphatically. "It's just, that was the _first_ time, you know? My first real kiss from a boy who liked me, and whenever I say, 'There you are, I've been looking for you forever,' it takes me back to that moment. It's something I can say out loud, and it seems kind of normal in the situation, so nobody would really know (except, obviously, you), and it's like my own little secret way to relive that moment and that feeling." He paused and bit his lip nervously. "Does that make any sense? Ugh, it sounds so silly, I'm sure."

Blaine said nothing. He simply gave Kurt the most dazzling smile in the world and leaned in to kiss him fervently. "It's not silly," he whispered against Kurt's lips before kissing him again, slower and softer this time.

After a few minutes, they parted lips, but rested their foreheads together. "I'm sorry I freaked out," Blaine said after a moment, brushing the tip of his nose against Kurt's.

"That's okay," Kurt answered, his fingers trailing across Blaine's shoulders. Blaine pulled him into his arms properly, hooking his chin over Kurt's shoulder and sighing contently. They stayed that way for a few minutes, just breathing each other in and being close.

"So," he eventually said, breaking the silence. "Should we celebrate our anniversary?"

"What anniversary?" Kurt asked in confusion.

"Well," Blaine responded, a mischievous tone creeping into his voice, "I was recently reminded that it is our six month, three week, and five day anniversary. I do believe that is deserving of a proper celebration, don't you?"

Kurt chuckled, the vibrations going through his chest to Blaine's. He pulled back from their embrace just enough to look Blaine in the eyes. He raised a hand to brush away a stray curl that had broken free of the gel to fall across his forehead, then let his fingers trace down the side of Blaine's face to his chin. All traces of teasing gone from his face and voice, he glanced down to Blaine's lips and then back up to look deeply into his eyes as he whispered with all the feeling he could muster, "There you are. I've been looking for you forever." The kisses that followed became Kurt's second-favorite of his life thus far, right behind the first one that he would never forget.

 _A/N: Long live Klaine. Oh, and check out Darren's new music – Lost Boys Life by Computer Games (the band he formed with his brother, Chuck). The title song is my new obsession, and plugging it for Darren makes me feel a little less weird about writing fanfiction about him. Not much, but a little._


End file.
